the story of art deco in Queensland

About

Welcome

This is a blog for people whose hearts, like mine, skip a beat when they meander past an Art Deco building or glimpse a photograph of a woman sporting the 1920s flapper style. It is also for those who share a broader interest in Queensland’s social and cultural history.

My aim is to document the influence of Art Deco in Queensland during the interwar period, in architecture, interior design, fashion, travel, advertising and more. It is an archive that will build up slowly over time, with each post exploring a specific example of the Art Deco style.

There is debate about precisely what the term ‘Art Deco’ means, particularly as it was only coined in the 1960s. For the purposes of this blog I am taking a liberal approach, understanding it to mean the modern aesthetic that took full flight between the end of WWI and beginning of WWII.

Your comments and ideas are welcome

I hope this blog contributes to building a community of people who share an interest in both admiring and preserving Queensland’s Art Deco heritage and would enjoy a forum for discussing it. Your comments on posts are very welcome, including additional information you may wish to add to my research or different interpretations you may have. I only ask that your comments are courteous and respectful of participants. I retain the right to moderate comments in this regard.

I also encourage you to email me (via the contacts page) about particular blog posts you would like to see, including any information or images you may wish to share. With permission, I will always credit those who have contributed information in this way.

Creative commons

Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt the material on condition you provide appropriate credit, include a link to this blog and indicate if changes were made. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Stay updated

If you would like to receive an email notifying you when new posts are published, please subscribe to the blog. You may also like to follow the Queensland Deco Project Facebook page, where I promote publication of new posts and upload additional images, news and information about Art Deco in Queensland.

Iona Cominos

About me: I have held various professional roles in research, arts policy, cultural programming and community development, in both the government and non-government sectors. I have an educational background in art history, history and social work, and a strong interest in Australian social and cultural history. In 2015, I was a contributing author to the book ‘Brisbane Art Deco: Stories of Our Built Heritage’. My love of Art Deco was ignited in my childhood, when I would walk past the Montvue Building in West Ashgrove on my way to primary school and marvel at the McWhirters facade on shopping trips to the Valley.

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5 replies

What a fantastic project I hope it builds into a fantastic archive there are lots of hidden gems in Brisbane and some fantastic buildings around the State. Good luck with it. I’ll be a regular visitor!